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The Daily Grind: Would you check back in on Age of Conan for free?
A lot of updates and additional content have been coming down the pipe for Age of Conan in the last several months, and that pace doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon. It's one thing to slap another fifteen bucks on the table in order to give an MMO the second go-round. That's why we're wondering how many previously subscribed players would be interested in re-installing and patching (a courageous task indeed) the game to see how things have changed.All things considered, we'll probably see a "come back for free" deal out of Funcom sometime this year. And it's possible that new and intriguing content updates will have manifested on the live servers by that time. Our curiosity will of course mean a revisit to Hyperborea for us, but what about for you, our dear readers?
Age of Conan launches new patch, introduces Xibaluku
By Crom indeed! A literal tidal wave of patch notes has hit the Age of Conan boards this morning, giving all of the gritty details of Conan's next major patch.Of special note in this patch are all of the new dungeons being added to the game for high level players and mid level players alike. Xibaluku, which you may remember us mentioning before, is launching with this patch. This dungeon is targeted towards level 80 endgame raiders, but can only be accessed by performing a prerequisite quest chain that sends the player through another brand new area, The Slaughterhouse Cellar. The Cellar is a single player instance, so be warned that you can't take your friends on casual decapitation fests through the opening quest chain.If you don't feel like going to run Xibaluku, then you can make your way over to Black Ring Citadel and challenge those evil dark sorcerers to the new third wing of their dungeon. Players in the area of level 43 will be happy to know that the Cradle of Decay is a brand new dungeon added just for them. If you're looking for the entrance, just stop by the Fields of the Dead and you should be able to find it.All of the above is just a small sample of what's been included in this patch. For the full, 4 post long set of patch notes, check them out on the Conan forums. Having fun in Conan's homeland? Make sure to check out all of our previous Age of Conan coverage, and stick with Massively for more news from the Hyborian Age!
"No retreat, no surrender" for Age of Conan
Age of Conan's Game Director Craig Morrison recently had an interview at Gamespy to dicuss his game's future. In the end though, he ended up speaking more about the past, and in particular, past problems and mistakes that have now been seen to. Technical game client issues, a lack of PvE content at certain levels, and an unsatisfying PvP system were all cited as causes of people turning their back on AoC -- followers of the game since launch would agree with all of these things being issues -- but Morrison went through this list and explained how his team has improved the game on each of these fronts. The embedded video, featuring Erling Ellingsen, shows off some of the current and planned improvements.As for talk of the future, Morrison reminded us that Xibaluku is coming for the PvE junkies, and mentioned the PvP resource system, which should bring a new level of interaction to PvP gameplay. He believes that the biggest issue still remaining from launch is to do with a shortage of good gear, and an itemization overhaul is in the works to address this. We can also expect some more guild and community functions later in the year. The stage is set for a comeback; now we'll just have to wait and see if the players come to the party.
New dungeon, PvP options coming to Age of Conan
With the server merges slated for Age of Conan complete, Funcom can now turn their full development attention to bug fixes and new content for their violent fantasy title. A brand new Director's Letter from Craig Morrison has outlined new shinies that are coming to Hyborea very soon - so soon they're already on the test server. The biggest chunk of newness has to be the Xibaluku dungeon. It's a six person instance aimed at level 80 players, and located in Thunder River. The "goal" of the dungeon for the developers was to create a dynamic encounter that is eminently replayable. Depending on a given run-through, the locale might contain up to a dozen boss encounters. "Some of the bosses may even appear with different abilities or in different forms across different visits! I also say 'up to' a dozen because not all the bosses may appear on any given single play through."The other big focus for the next content drop focuses on PvP. Battlekeeps will now require new resources harvested from the Border Kingdoms to expand. The designers hope to focus open world PvP into these areas, giving PvP guilds not only specific areas to skirmish over, but also allowing them the opportunity to thwart their foes. They're also introducing a new signup process for the PvP mini-games that should be joining and enjoying that content easier than ever. Read through to the full letter for all the details.
Clan of Conan previews Update 4 and Xibaluku
We've already had a look inside the latest Clan of Conan newsletter, finding that there were shiny Kosalan talismans for everyone these holidays. Free jewelery aside, the newsletter also contains a great deal of information about what's coming in Age of Conan's Update 4, and a video of the new dungeon Xibaluku to boot. Xibaluku is intended for a full group of max-level players, and will be situated in the Thunder River area. After reading about it in the newsletter, you can click the "read more" link for an in-depth writeup of the dungeon.Players won't just be free to walk into Xibaluku. They'll first need to complete a new solo dungeon called The Slaughterhouse Cellar, also located in Thunder River and to be released in Update 4. Those that venture deep enough into Xibaluku might find one of two new Undead social pets that are being introduced to the game, which are good for "spreading gloom and dreadfulness", and probably scaring newbies in town. Expect the PvP system to receive some tweaking in Update 4 too, with the "PvP resources" system set to debut. If you're holding PvP resources to bring to an architect and get player-killed, you have a chance of them being looted by your assassin. Architects will need the resources to build and repair battlekeeps, and the hope is that epic battles will take place over the humble gathering nodes.
Craig Morrison discusses future Age of Conan updates and changes
Age of Conan's game director, Craig Morrison, has written a letter to the community about the next slew of upgrades and updates coming to the game now that Ymir's Pass -- and its new PvP system -- is on the live servers. First on the list of patches will be DirectX 10, which Morrison says is something the team wanted to be really special. We're just hoping it doesn't bring any serious new bugs with it, but from the sound of things Funcom is trying to make sure the new graphics are highly scalable for various computers.The second big project in the works are two new dungeons. Thunder River will hold both of them and they'll be aimed at max-level players. The Slaughter House Cellar is for single players, while Xibaluku is a large team dungeon. We can expect to see these released with the next update, apparently.
